Aussies land on their feet for Olympics

Australia's lead-up to the 2006 Winter Olympics has had more
twists and turns than an Alisa Camplin aerial skiing manoeuvre.

And just like the defending Games champion, her compatriots have
often landed on their feet when least expected.

By October last year things weren't looking good for the
Australian Winter Olympics team.

Camplin had blown out her knee and joined another potential
aerial medallist in Lydia Ierodiaconou on the sidelines.

Jacqui Cooper, the third freestyler in the mix, had little in
the way of results.

And while Australia could still pin some hopes on snowboarder
Torah Bright and moguls skier Dale Begg-Smith there was very little
to suggest the two gold medals achieved in 2002 could seriously be
contemplated at this month's Games.

But just as things were starting to look as barren as the
Italian Alps in June, the worm turned.

Hard work, tendons from a couple of dead bodies, miracle
recoveries and the rise of some fringe athletes in the early part
of the northern hemisphere winter has left Australia's largest ever
Winter Olympics team of 41 quietly confident it will perform above
expectations in Turin.

"When you look at the newer disciplines - moguls skiing, aerial
skiing, halfpipe, boardercross and skeleton and the results -
that's actually better than we could have hoped in the forecast,"
head of the Olympic Winter Institute Geoff Lipshut said.

"We've just got to keep knocking on wood that things keep on
going the way they are and we don't get any injuries.

"You can't forget that this is one opportunity at one point in
time so we've got to hope for some luck as well."

After a fearsome injury run amongst the aerialists it seems good
fortune is the flavour of the month again with Camplin and
Ierodiaconou's recoveries nothing short of remarkable.

Both received donor tendons from cadavers in the hope of being
available for Turin after sustaining ACL injuries.

A little more than six months after surgery Ierodiaconou was
back at the pointy end of the World Cup podium, taking out an event
in Utah while Camplin has posted a seventh and fourth in her two
comeback outings.

Even team doctor Peter Braun had written the indomitable Camplin
off, saying it was unrealistic to think she could contend for a
medal.

Cooper hasn't been quite so competitive but may yet pull
something out of the bag after the disaster of 2002 where she went
into the Games expected to win only to rupture her knee in
training.

This time round it will be moguls skier Dale Begg-Smith who
carries the burden of being the only Australian who is an outright
favourite to win gold.

The 21-year-old's silky style on the bumps is enough to make
anyone who has ever tried to ski over a mogul swoon and his early
foray into aerial tricks (the 2006 Games will be the first time
mogul skiers are allowed to go inverted off jumps) has given him a
key edge with this component making up 25 per cent of the scoring
criteria.

"The fact that he's won three events in a row and four all up
says a lot about his confidence," Lipshut said ahead of
Begg-Smith's final World Cup event before the Games.

"He's made the ascension to the best in the world and he
believes he should be there.

"He's ahead of the game technically and now the judges are
noticing him in a favourable sense too."

Also turning heads is Bright.

While she hasn't competed on the World Cup in the halfpipe event
this season Bright has showed enough with six podiums in over the
last two seasons and her second placing at last month's X Games in
Aspen to suggest a placing is well within her reach.

Some lesser lights have shone too.

Damon Hayler (boardercross), Michael Robertson (freestyle
moguls) and Holly Crawford (halfpipe) have all picked up minor
medals in what has been perhaps the most diversely successful
season in Australian wintersports history.

The experiment to change beach sprinters into skeleton sliders
is already paying dividends with Michelle Steele registering two
fourths and a sixth in World Cups while it's a numbers game for the
short track relay team which will be just one of eight to compete
in Italy.

Despite some breakthrough results last year (including AJ Bear's
17th in the downhill at Val Gardena, Italy) Australia's four-member
alpine team will do well to post top 30 finishes, our cross country
skiers look outclassed and expectations aren't particularly high
for the nascent bobsleigh crew.

As always there will be some filler but there's clearly less of
the 'just there to compete' attitude of Games gone by.

In Salt Lake City four years ago Australia truly arrived on the
Winter Olympics scene.

Turin gives the Antipodeans a chance to confirm that burgeoning
status.

1138836416033-smh.com.auhttp://smh.com.au/news/SPORT/Aussies-land-on-their-feet-for-Olympics/2006/02/03/1138836416033.htmlsmh.com.auAAP2006-02-03Aussies land on their feet for OlympicsBreakingNewsSPORT